This is the research paper I presented on "Pill Camera - An Application of Bio Medical Technology" at a national level conference held at T.K.M. Institute of Technology on March 15, 2013

1. PILL CAMERA
(An application of bio medical technology)
Ishan Malpotra, E. Balachander
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering,
Adhiparasakthi Engineering College, Melmaruvathur – 603 319, Tamil Nadu, India
ishan.malpotra@hotmail.com
balachandernewborn@gmail.com
Abstract— The aim of technology is to make products at a large
scale for cheaper prices with increased quality. The current
technologies have attained a part of it, but the manufacturing
technology is at macro level. The future lies in manufacturing
product right from the molecular level. Research in this direction
started way in eighties. At that time, manufacturing at
molecular and atomic level was laughed about. But due to advent
of nanotechnology we have realized it to a certain level. One such
product manufactured is ‘Pill Camera’, which is used for the
treatment of cancer, ulcer and anemia. It has made revolution in
the field of medicine. This tiny capsule can pass through our
body, without causing any harm. It takes pictures of our intestine
and transmits the same to the receiver of the Computer analysis
of our digestive system. This process can help in tracking any
kind of disease related to digestive system. Also, we have
discussed the drawbacks of ‘Pill Camera’ and how these
drawbacks can be overcome using grain sized motor and bi-
directional wireless telemetry capsule. Besides this, we have
reviewed the process of manufacturing products using
nanotechnology. Some other important applications are also
discussed along with their potential impacts on various fields.
I. INTRODUCTION
We have made great progress in manufacturing products.
Looking back from where we stand now, we started from flint
knives and stone tools and reached the stage where we make
such tools with more precision than ever. The leap in
technology is great but it is not going to stop here. With our
present technology we manufacture products by casting,
milling, grinding, chipping and the likes. With these
technologies we have made more things at a lower cost and
greater precision than ever before. In the manufacture of these
products we have been arranging atoms in great thundering
statistical herds. All of us know manufactured products are
made from atoms. The properties of those products depend on
how those atoms are arranged. If we rearrange atoms in dirt,
water and air we get grass. The next step in manufacturing
technology is to manufacture products at molecular level. The
technology used to achieve “Pill camera” is nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is the creation of useful materials, devices
and system through manipulation of such miniscule matter
(nanometer). Nanotechnology deals with objects measured
in nanometers. Nanometer can be visualized as billionth of a
meter or millionth of a millimeter or it is 1/80000 width of
human hair.
II. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Noble laureate Dr. Richard Feynman first talks about
manipulation of atoms long ago in 1959 at the annual meeting
of the American Physical Society at the California institute of
technology -Caltech and at that time it was laughed about.
Nothing was pursued in it till 80’s. Drexel introduces the
concept of nanotechnology in the year 1981 through his
article “The Engines of Creation”. In 1990, IBM researchers
showed that it is possible to manipulate single atoms. They
positioned 35 Xenon atoms on the surface of nickel crystal,
using an atomic force microscopy instrument. These
positioned atoms spelled out the letters” IBM”.
Image of the IBM spelled with 35xenon atoms

2. III. POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
As televisions, airplanes, computers revolutionized the
world in the last century; scientists claim that nanotechnology
will have an even more profound effect on the next century.
Nanotechnology is likely to change the way almost
everything, including medicine, computers and cars, are
designed and constructed.
IV. PILL CAMERA - INTRODUCTION
Imagine a vitamin pill-sized camera that could travel
through your body taking pictures, helping diagnose a
problem which doctor previously would have found only
through surgery. No longer is such technology the stuff of
science fiction films. Shown below is one such example of the
same.
V. CONVENTIONAL METHOD
Currently, standard method of detecting abnormalities in
the intestines is through endoscopic examination in which
doctors advance a scope down into the small intestine via the
mouth. However, these scopes are unable to reach through all
of the 20-foot-long small intestine, and thus provide only a
partial view of that part of the bowel. With the help of pill
camera not only can diagnoses be made for certain conditions
routinely missed by other tests, but disorders can be detected
at an earlier stage, enabling treatment before complications
develop.
VI.DESCRIPTION
The device, called the given Diagnostic Imaging System,
comes in capsule form and contains a camera, lights,
transmitter and batteries. The capsule has a clear end that
allows the camera to view the lining of the small intestine.
Capsule endoscopy consists of a disposable video camera
encapsulated into a pill like form that is swallowed with water.
The wireless camera takes thousands of high-quality digital
images within the body as it passes through the entire length
of the small intestine. The latest pill camera is sized at 26*11
mm and is capable of transmitting 50,000 color images during
its traversal through the digestive system of patient.
Video chip consists of the IC CMOS image sensor, which is
used to take pictures of intestine .The lamp, is used for proper
illumination in the intestine for taking photos. Micro actuator
acts as memory to store the software code that is the
instructions. The antenna is used to transmit the images to the
receiver. For the detection of reliable and correct information,
capsule should be able to designed to transmit several
biomedical signals, such as pH, temp and pressure. This is
achieved with the help of Soc.
External reference crystal or clock. The decoder IC receives
the serial stream and interprets the serial information as 4 bits
of binary data. Each bit is used for channel recognition of the
control signal from outside the body. Since the CMOS image
sensor module consumes most of the power compared to the
other .
VII. COMPONENTS
Moreover, since lightning LED’s also use significant
amount of power, the individual ON/OFF control of each LED
is equally necessary. As such the control system is divided
into 4 channels in the current study. A high output current
amplifier with a single supply is utilized to drive loads in
capsule.
VIII. CIRCUIT DIAGRAM OF THE PILL

3. IX.CONCEPTIONAL DIAGRAM OF BI-DIRECTIONAL WIRELESS
ENDOSCOPY SYSTEM
X. RECEIVER CIRCUIT INSIDE THE CAPSULE
XI.EXTERNAL CONTROL UNIT
A schematic of the external control circuit unit is
illustrated below, where the ON/OFF operation of the switch
in the front of the unit is encoded into 4 channels Control
signals. These digital signals are then transferred to a
synthesizer and modulated into an RF signal using a OOK
transmitter with a carrier frequency of 433 MHz
To verify the operation of the external control unit and
telemetry capsule, CH1 was used to control ON/OFF of
CMOS image sensor and CHs 2-4 to control led lighting. The
four signals in front of the control panel were able to make 16
different control signals (4 bit, 2^4 = 16).The bi - directional
operation of telemetry module is verified by transmitting
video signal from CMOS image sensor image data was then
displayed.
The proposed telemetry capsule can simultaneously transmit a
video signal and receive a control determining the behavior of
the capsule. As a result, the total power consumption of the
telemetry capsule can be reduced by turning off the camera
power during dead time and separately controlling the LEDs
for proper illumination in the intestine. Accordingly, proposed
telemetry module for bidirectional and multi-channel
communication has the potential applications in many.
XII. DRAWBACKS
It is a revolution, no question about it but the capsule
poses medical risks.
1. "Unfortunately, patients with gastrointestinal
structures or narrowing are not good candidates for
this procedure due to the risk of obstruction". It
might also happen that the pill camera might not be
able to traverse freely inside digestive system, which
may cause the tests to be inconclusive.
2. If there is a partial obstruction in the small intestine,
there is a risk that the pill will get stuck there and a
patient who might have come in for diagnostically

4. reasons may end up in the emergency room for
intestinal obstruction.
XIII. CONCLUSION
Though nanotechnology has not evolved to its full capacity
yet the first rung of products have already made an impact on
the market. In the near future most of the conventional
manufacturing processes will be replaced with a cheaper and
better manufacturing process “pill camera”. Scientists predict
that this is not all nanotechnology is capable of. They even
foresee that in the decades to come, with the help of
nanotechnology one can make hearts, lungs, livers and
kidneys, just by providing coal, water and some impurities
and even prevent the aging effect. Pill camera has the power
to revolutionize the world of production, but it is sure to
increase unemployment.
Nanotechnology can be used to make miniature explosives,
which would create havoc in human lives. Every new
technology that comes opens new doors and horizons but
closes some. The same is true with nanotechnology too.